Limb-setting device.



M. SCHNUG.

LIMB SETTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION man NOV. 2. 1915.

Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A 1701mm M.= SCHNUG. LIMB SETTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2, I915.

Patnted Mar. 21,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 21- INVENTOR A TTORNEYS soHNnG', o'F'BonD'uE L Wisconsin."

LIME-SETTING DEVICE? Specification of LettersiPatent.

Patented lliar'. 21, 1916.

Application filed November 2, 1915." Serial No. 59,246.

To all whom it may concern Beit known that '1 MAX SCHNUG, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of Bonduel, injthe county of Shawano and ,State of'Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Limb-Setting Devices, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My present invention, designed for setting fractures of the upper legor hip, right, left, or both, and in the reduction of which it is necessary to have the body elevated in order to be enabled to put a bandage or plaster castaround leg, hip, or back, and

at the same time to maintain the legor'legs under'tension and 1n proper anatomical l1ne.

1s an improvement overthe form shown and described in Letters Patentof the United States, No. 1,148,996, issued to me'on the 3rd dav of August, 1915, and one of the.

main objects is to provide such an appara tuswhich may beouickly assembled'and unassembl'ed whereby, when not in use, the

and be readily portable. a

A further object is to befenabled to place a patient upon the table of the apparatus parts may be stored within a small compass" with certain of the parts of the latter not in position whereby no unnecessary bending of the patients limbs will occur, theseparts being placed'in position afterthe patient has been properly and comfortably arranged.

A'further object is to be enabled to -utilize the particular members of the device for particular fractures because oftheir detachability, and-also to provide a comfort able rest for the uninjured legif but one leg or hip is fractured. I k My. invention is fully'desc'ribed inthe following specification, of which the accompanying' drawings form a part, in which like characters refer to like parts in each of the views, and in which j Figure 1 isa perspective View of the apparatus fully assembled for use, partly broken away; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof taken on the line 22 of Fig."

3; Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3'3 of Fig. 2 Fig 4 is a, sectiontaken on the line ll of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of-Fig/2; Fig. 6 is an en-* larged, fragmentary, View thereof to show the manner 'of connecting certain parts of a detailof the apparatus.

menttherewith. the frame: and Fig. 7 is a similar view of."

bylongitudinal strips 10 and 11 bolted or otherwise secured to transverse strips 12 and 13, the former of which has a plate 1 f secured thereto and to which, in turn, a strip 15 'is' hinged, whereby'saidistrip may be foldedagainstsaid plate when the apparatus'is not-in use. Thestrip 15 has three notches 16 cutinto'the upper edge thereof and theplate 14 is provided with two pairs, 17 and 18, of sockets for the reception of two pairs, 19 and 20, of detachable posts provided, each, with adjustable slide-blocks 21 and22, respectively; carrying screws 23 and 24 l1aving;laand'ag'e securing means'25 and 26, respectively, at theirinner ends and with suitable handles at their outer ends. The pairs ofposts support a horizontally arranged bar27 having two notches 28 cut therein and covered by plates 29," as shown in detail in Fig. 7, for the reception ofdetachable bars "30 and 31, and it will be noted that; when the longitudinal strips 10 and 11 are in place, they lie beneath the hinged strip 15 and preventfurther o 'oeni'ng move ment thereof with respect to the plate 14., the posts 19 and ZOpr eventing cIOsing move- IIlPJlll of said strip 15.

The side strips 'lOjand llicarry, each, at their inner ends, a'perforated block32 and 36 of canvas or the like, said sheet being providedwith pockets for the rods 35 and for another'rod 37' centrally arranged,the

outer end of which rests in the respective notch 16 and'the inner end of which is supported bya plate 38, whereby the sheet 36 is. held several inches above the main frame.

Carried centrally ofthe transverse strip 13,.ina socket 39, is apo'st' 410 of tubular form to receive, at its top, a pin 41 carried bva transverse bar 42' having sockets at its ends for the reception of the upper ends of the posts 34 and said. bar 42 supportsthe inner ends of the bars 30 and 31, each of which hasa pin 43 for detachable engage- The main body'supp'o'rt" for'the patient consists oftwo' side strips 44 having forked angle plates at their lower ends adapted for adjustable connection with the perforated. blocks 32, perforated legs 46 being in adjustable connection with the outer upper ends of said strips and suitable braces 47 being provided for the legs, and it will be seen that, because of the perforated blocks 32 the body support may be adjusted toward or from the main frame and the in.- clination thereof may be adjusted by means of the legs 16. A transverse bar 4.8 holds the outer ends of the strips 44 in desired relationship with each other and also serves as a suppcrt for a head-rest 49 and for an adjustable strap 50.

The strap 50 is held at one end by a bolt 51 held in a bracket 52 beneath the bar or plate 48 and is nassed -thence to the outer edge ofthe said bar, around said edge, and toward the transverse strip 13, above the bar 48 but beneath a canvas sheet 53 carried by the side strips 4%, and it will be seen that this canvas sheet 53 may be adjusted as to yield clue to the weight of a body thereon by changing the tension of the strap 50. The inner end ofthis strap is passed over a bolt 5-1 carried by a sheet metal casing 55 and to a roller 56, having a slot therein to receive the end of the strap 50, Fig. 2, rotatable in said casing but held in adjusted position by means of a ratchet wheel57 on said roller and a spring actuated pawl 58 on thejcasing 55, the outerend of the roller 56"being angularly formed so as to be en 7 a I 4.0, and the patient placed thereon; the post gaged by an angularly socketed crank, not

. shown, whereby the strap 50 may be tightened or loosened at will.

' From the foregoing and from the drawings it will be readily seen that the apparatus "may be assembled and unassembled at will, the strips, plates, bars, and rods, being separable from each other, the legs and braces being separable, and the canvas sheets and the strap 50 being detachable, whereby the parts, when not in use, will occupy a relatively small space and may be readily carried to a point distant from the physicians o'fiice. All fractures are'set by means of extension. In order to give a clear conception, how extension is produced by the aid of this apparatus, I wish to explain asfollows: Both legs, the injured as well as the healthy one. receive adhesive strapson both sides of the leg, held by a circular band, applied in such a way that the prominences of the bone at knee or ankle oint,

hold the same in proper place, and which are strong enough to stand the pull of as tension. These adhesive straps are fastened A according to the kind offractpre treated either to the knee or ankle joint. These adhesive straps are fastened on the other end to the head pieces 25 and 26 of the screws 23 and 24. Both .legs, the injured as well as the healthy one, are fastened this way,

7 in order to keep the body in proper balance.

not move the head pieces 25; and 26, asthe Then traction is 7 latter run on a swivel joint, and thereby 7 keeps the injured legperfectly'quiet. The

apparatus is removed. afterthe fracture is set and the permanent dressing or. plaster cast 1s applied; The arrangement of this apparatus makes it possible to put on a plaster cast due to the elevation of'the body and provides plenty of room aroundthe injured 1imb.- If the plaster cast. is made a tight.

fit, it holds the fr'acture'in place, without? puttlng any weight or-traction on the; leg

after the apparatus is removed;

The apparatus can be used, for all fractures of the hip, upperand lower'l'eg. It is also adapted'for all sizes of adults and children.' The lower partiof'the body rests only on the strap 50; there is nothing else in the way.- If a plaster cast is'put ,aroundwthei hips and back l put it over the strap 50;

After the patient is ready, the said straprisj cut on on bothsides of theplaster cast and the patient, removed from the apparatus to' the bed.

referred to is to be treated, th eapp'aratus" may be assembled with the exception of the f bars 30, 31, and 42, and the posts: 34' and 40 may now be placed in position at the crotch of the legs of the patient tolimit his possible movement toward the foot of the apparatus, the inclination oftheibody support arranged, and the strap50 placed under desiredtension. after which the posts is 34: and bars 30, 31, and 42 may be assembled,

a bandage or strap passed around theQankle of the in ured leg and; to the respectivebandage engaging means on the respective slide-block 21 or '22 and tension ap lied by means of the screw '23 or 2-1. Then the fracture has been set, the plaster-cast Ior bandages may be passed aroundthe injured leg, and suitable slings employed depending from either or both of the bars 30 and 31 to arrange theinjuredleg in the most comfort able position as w'ellas inthe correct anatomical line, whereas 'theunin ured leg may rest at ease on the canvas sheet'36, thebody being, supported in comfortable position on a the canvas sheet 53 in the adjusted position 3 of the strip 50.

No effort has been made to'illustratea patient in position on'my apparatus for the reason that fractures at different points would require different illustrations. and these will be obvious to any person'slcilled in the art-towhich thisinvention appertains. In practice, when a fracture of the In practice, when a fracture of the-kind] kind referred to is to be treated, the apparatus may be assembled with the'exception of the bars 30, 31 and 42, and the posts 34 and 40, and the patient placed thereon; the post 40 may now be placed in position at the crotch of the legs of the patient to limit his possible movement toward the foot of the apparatus, the inclination of the body support arranged, and the strap 50 placed under desired tension, after which the posts 34 and bars 30, 31 and 42 may be assembled. Adhesive straps secured to the knee or ankle joint as explained before are fastened at the other end to the head pieces 25 and 26. The leg is also held in position by one or more slings to bars 30 and '31. Having the leg in proper position extension is made now by rotating the extension screws 23 and 24. Both hands are free now to examine the leg or hip and see if the fracture is properly set, see if everything is in the proper anatomical lin, and corrected if needed. The leg is held now tied as in a vise and no movement thereof is possible. Then remove the side rods 35 and center rod 37 as well as the canvas sheet 36. Having this removed gives plenty of room around the legs, hip and back to put on the plaster cast or other permanent dressing. If the plaster cast fits snug, it is not necessary to put on any weight or extension afterward. The dressing is put on over the strap 50. When the plaster cast is dry and hard the patient is removed from the apparatus and put to bed. Before doing this this strap 50 has to be cut off on both sides of the plaster cast. The perfect rest of the leg from below and above, and the gradual pull to set the leg, give so little pain to the patient that in most cases no anesthetic is required.

My invention is simple in construction and use, is well adapted for use in country practice, as well as for city practice or hospitals.

lVhile I have shown a preferred form of construction, it will be apparent that I do not confine myself thereto but may make changes thereover, within the scope of the following claims, without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A limb setting device, comprising a frame, a body support including a strap, pivoted thereto, a vertical rod arranged centrally of said device at the junction of said frame and body support to limit the movement of a patient in one direction, away from said body support, and means for causing tension on an injured leg.

2. A limb setting device, comprising a frame, a body support including a strap, pivoted thereto, means for preventing a patient from moving away from said body support, means for applying tension to his legs, and means for varying the yielding of said body support to the weight of said patient.

3. A limb setting device, comprising a frame, a body support, including a strap, pivoted thereto, a canvas sheet above said frame, means for holding the same in such position, a canvas sheet on said support, means for controlling the yielding thereof to the weight of a patient, and means for preventing movement of the patient away from said body support.

4. A limb setting device, comprising a frame, a plurality of longitudinally arranged rods held at a desired distance thereover, a canvas sheet held by said rods, a body support pivoted to said frame, a head rest thereon, a canvas sheet thereon, means. including a strap, for controlling the yielding thereof to the weight of a patient, and means for preventing the movement of the patient away from said body support.

5. A limb setting device, comprising a frame formed of detachable members, a detachable canvas sheet stretched thereover, a body support pivoted to said frame, a canvas sheet stretched thereon, means, including a strap, for maintaining said last named sheet under adjustable tension, means for preventing a patient from moving away from said body support, and means for applying tension tothe legs of said patient.

6. A limb setting device, comprising a frame, a body support pivoted thereto, means for preventing a patient from moving away from said support, means for inclining said support at a desired angle, a

canvas sheet on said support, a strap for holding said sheet in position, and means for applying tension to said strap to control the yielding of said sheet to the weight of a patient.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MAX SCHNUG.

Witnesses:

R. C. WVENDT, J. F. ZUEHLSDORF.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

